Lafond Sets Record as @IlliniMTrack Completes Rod McCravy Competition

Dylan Lafond Sets Illinois 3K Record with 8:00.48 Time

Men's Track & Field January 23, 2016

Lafond Sets Record as @IlliniMTrack Completes Rod McCravy Competition

Dylan Lafond Sets Illinois 3K Record with 8:00.48 Time

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Fighting Illini concluded competition at the Rod McCravy Memorial meet in snow-filled Lexington, Kentucky. The Orange and Blue welcomed senior All-American Cam Viney back to the track after he missed the first two meets of the season, while Jonathan Wells completed his heptathlon competition with a second-place finish. However, highlight today came from Dylan Lafond who broke the school's 3,000m record today.

"I think we showed pretty well," said Head Men's Track and Field Coach Mike Turk. "The good thing where we are as a program. We really want more, we expect more, and we know we're capable of more. At the same time, we went into this meet with a lot of young guys. I think our experienced, high level guys all performed well, and the young guys got in there and snuck their nose in and did some great things."

The most impressive Illini performance of both days of the Rod McCravy Memorial meet came late in the day on Saturday, when Dylan Lafond clocked a 8:00.48 3,000-meter time. The red-shirt senior's time bested the 8:02.40 by teammate Ian Barnett from last season to break the school record for the second year in a row. While the time was half a second slower than Matthew Schwartzer (Indiana), Coach Turk continues to see the impressive ascent Mount Olive transfer that came to Illinois in the fall of 2014.

"It speaks a lot to the kind of athlete he's become, and the level he's ascended to since coming to Illinois," said Coach Turk. "It's really remarkable in the short time frame to blossom the way he has. We're certainly really pleased with what he's doing and the work he's put in."

After finishing no worse than second in each of the four heptathlon events on Friday morning, Jonathan Wells looked to cement his lead on Saturday. Competing in his first-ever heptathlon, and leading by 32 points at the event's midway points, Wells started strong again on Saturday with a second-place finish in the 60m hurdles, clocking in at 8.44. The runner-up finish pushed his overall lead to 44 points over Kentucky's Tim Duckworth. However, Duckworth was at his best in the day's second heptathlon event: the pole vault. Duckworth cleared five meters, topping Well's 4.50m mark, and retaking the lead by 106 points entering the final event, the 1,000m run. Unfortunately, Wells' bid for the heptathlon title came up short as he placed fifth in the 1,000m run and finished second in the heptathlon behind Duckworth.

"He's just scratching the tip of the iceberg," explained Turk. "He's really talent and he's worked really hard, but this is a learning experience. He's kind of in uncharted waters. We certainly have some things to improve upon and some adjustments to make, but what's possible for him is tremendous. To see what he did today in the pole vault, having just started this year, was really {encouraging} after that fine performance. I really feel like it was a really good first step for him. He has some things to work on over the next four to five weeks, but he definitely belongs in that event and cane definitely be a player on the national level."

All-American Cam Viney made his season debut today in the 60m hurdles and 400m dash, placing in the top-10 in both events. After running the sixth-fastest time in the qualifying round of the 60m hurdles, Viney placed third overall in the final behind Devon Williams (Georgia) and Bruce Grace (Baylor) with a time of 7.90. Later in the day, Viney came back in the 400m and placed seventh with a mark of 48.28.

"For his first day, it was really a solid meet," said Turk. "He made the final in the 60m hurdles, finishing third and ran a 7.90. I think that's right in the ballpark of what he ran here last year. What we've seen out of him in the past is that sometimes it takes him a few meets to get into the right rhythm, so we're happy he showed the way he did {today}. It was pretty encouraging to see him performing the way he did today."

Viney wasn't the only Illini to compete at a high level in the 400m today, as Kenneth Allen, winner of the 400m at both the Border Battle and the Illini Classic, topped Viney's performance with a 48.19 time to place fifth.

"Maybe he was overshadowed by DJ Zahn, but he was watching, learning, working and seeing a little bit of the progression that DJ went through," explained Turk. "And, he's very close to that progression."

The meet finished with distance events, where Jared Christiansen notched the team's best distance finish with a time of 4:15.33 in the one-mile run to place fifth. In the 800m run, Konrad Eiring led the Illini, placing 13^th with a time of 1:52.39, while Garrett Lee finished in 16^th, marking a 1:53.30 time.

Rounding out the performances today was Michael Hyc as the lone field events competitor today. The sophomore threw a personal-record heave of 16.84m to finish eighth in the shot put.

The Orange and Blue will get their first week off after three straight meets to begin the season. The Illini will return to action on Friday, February 5-6 where they will begin the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Top-Ten Finishes (Friday):

1. Alex Gold: 5,000m (14:23.97)

2. Dan Lathrop: 5,000m (14:33.86)

2. Devin Quinn: 200m (21.72)

4. Zack Smith: 5,000m (14:38.97)

5. Billy Magnesen: 5,000m (14:38.97)

6. Matsen Dziedzic: Weight Throw (18.61m)

7. Michael Hyc: Weight Throw (18.22m)

10. Jereme Atchison: 5,000m (14:58.19)

Top-Ten Finishes (Saturday):

1. Dylan Lafond: 3,000m (8:00.48)

2. Jonathan Wells: Heptathlon (4944 points)